In the Eye of the Beholder
by WichitaRed
Summary: What could be a dangerous situation instead gives you a revealing insight of Kyle


Page | 5

"I'm outta here." Wheat warbled in only a way Wheat could.

"Halt." A black gloved hand came up before him.

Dragging to a stop, his blue eyes rolled white as he turned to look at the Devil's Hole Leader.

"Quit worrying. I ain't having you assist."

Wheat smiled weakly then stood straighter, shoving his chest out, "Not that I can't handle it and all."

"Uh Huh." Heyes mumbled his dark eyes busily studying the sap like ooze staining the length of the shelf. "I just need you to keep the others all clear."

Wheat nodded, "Will do." He eyed the bright sunshine beyond the shed's door. "I'll go do that right now."

"And Wheat. . . I mean it about keeping clear. That includes the Kid."

"Right Heyes."

"I'm holding you responsible if he shows up."

Wheat audibly sucked on his teeth before nodding and walking out with a little less swagger to his step. At the door, he paused, his eyes drifting from Heyes to the shelf to Kyle standing sheepishly behind his leader. "Well if'n. . ." His eyes drifted to the shelf again, "Well it's been good ridin' with ya Kyle - Heyes."

Placing his hands on his hips, Heyes watched Wheat walk away and then turned a stony face toward Kyle. The little outlaw looked all around his head pivoting like a wayward dog until unable to stand the angry eyes staring him down, he blurted out, "I been watching it Heyes."

One black eyebrow arched.

"I have." Kyle rubbed his damp palms across the front of his shirt. "I been removin' the ones with sugar coating."

The dark-eyes flicked to the shelf of brown dynamite sticks each of them coated in a dusting of nitro crystals after a full minute they slid back to Kyle.

"Them ain't coated. They's just sweated a bit is all."

Heyes closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose, "Kyle there is not supposed to be nitro on the outside. And, do tell me you see the puddle of nitro creeping across the shelf."

Kyle's mouth twisted and he shifted about.

"Well?"

"That leak there, it is a problem." Kyle looked up suddenly with a huge smile heading for the shelf. "Tell you what I'll find the one leaking and all will be good."

"Freeze!"

"But Heyes I know what I'm doin'. Really I do."

"I know you do Kyle." Heyes said laying an arm about the outlaw's shoulders. "If I didn't believe you knew how to handle explosives then I'd give your job to someone else. Frankly Kyle I like having you as my dynamite man. Fact is I trust you. But Kyle. . . ." He waved a hand at the dangerous mess on the shelf.

"I know Heyes." Kyle said the corner of his mouth tugging down. "It's just they's all kind of precious too me."

"Uh Hum." Heyes nodded, rolling his eyes. "How old is this batch?" 

"Big Jim gave'em to me the day he made me _his_ dynamite man." Kyle chirped his whole being enlarging as he filled up with pride.

"Kyle!" Heyes took off his hat, running a hand back through his thick black hair. "These have to be what – ten years old?!"

"Close." Kyle looked down at his boots.

"You rightly know they ain't safe."

"But it's all I got left from Big Jim."

"He ain't dead Kyle." Heyes slammed his hat back on. "And sure as hell wouldn't want you blowing yourself or any of us up by having a keepsake of unstable dynamite."

"I told myself that, but I couldn't bring myself to dispose of'em. They's just too beautiful."

Heyes sighed, dropping an arm about his dejected looking friend. "Tell you what, we'll do it together. Then when we're done we'll drink a bottle to memories."

Kyle rolled his chaw deeper into his cheek and then smiled over at Heyes agreeing

Working as a team the pair of them gently, ever so gently, transferred the pile of dynamite sticks to a deeply dug fire pit a ways off from the storage shack. Until all that remained, was the shiny trail of nitro on the wood plank.

Squatting next to the hole, Heyes gradually doused each stick in lamp oil and then standing, he handed his sliver matchstick tin to Kyle, "You want the honor?"

Kyle nodded and with a small, tremulous smile, he struck a match tossing it into the hole. The lamp oil flamed up brilliantly, licking high into the air and in its brightness; Kyle looked as deflated as penny balloon.

"You did right." Heyes patted him on the back watching the dynamite fall to pieces in the flames, its nitro bubbling brilliantly before evaporating. "Seems to me if any nitro had dripped off the shelf, it all would have blown sky high. But, stranger things have happened. So I want you to cover the floor in sawdust and for the next two weeks keep it good wet to ensure it is all well diluted." Then frowning he looked to the board itself and shaking his head, he turned hollering, "Alright come on out."

Kid Curry leisurely stepped from behind a ponderosa pine he'd been leaning against for more than an hour, "Gotta say Heyes, for once I am glad it wasn't me who was your partner this time." He looked down into the hole at the burning sticks. "How many?"

"Fifeteen."

"Used to be twenty but like I said I been removing the sugar coated ones." Kyle said defensively.

Kid shook his head, "Still glad it wasn't me helping you."

"Well you can get over that because I need your assistance now."

Kid pointed at his chest while nodding over at Kyle.

Heyes shook his head, "Nope. I want you."

Dropping his head, Kid muttered, "What?"

Heyes motioned for him to follow him into the shed, "We got to get rid of the shelf."

"Is that nitro?"

"Mmm Hmm." Heyes flashed a bright smile "And, I know exactly what I want to do with it."

"Which is?"

"Throw it off the overhang behind the Hole and let the explosion block up that pass. Never much cared for knowing it our backdoor was open."

"Good idea." Kid grinned. "But why do you need me?"

"Why to carry the board with me."

"You have to be joking."

"Not in the least. I don't want risk balancing it alone."

Kid once more nodded toward Kyle.

Heyes frowned.

Kid frowned.

Then without another word, they took up the board tenderly making their way toward the rock face, "Hey Kid you ready to the leader yet?"

"Nope Heyes, I enjoy being head of security and I do wish you would quit changing my job description."


End file.
